


the hellevator job

by straythoughts (HiraethSatisfied), UchiHime, UpsideofCrazy



Series: let's go steal a leverage AU [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Leverage Fusion, Chaotic Good, Con Artists, Found Family, Gen, Hacker Jisung, Heist, Lee Minho | Lee Know is a Confident Gay, Leverage AU, M/M, Multi, References to Leverage, Set in America, Stealing, Swearing, Thief Jeongin, be gay do crimes, binchan former fbi agents, chanlix were orphans, fuck capitalism, grifter hyunjin, grifter minho, hacker seungmin, hitter and thief felix, hitter changbin, kpop industry parallels, mastermind chan, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28679706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiraethSatisfied/pseuds/straythoughts, https://archiveofourown.org/users/UchiHime/pseuds/UchiHime, https://archiveofourown.org/users/UpsideofCrazy/pseuds/UpsideofCrazy
Summary: Former FBI agent Christopher "Chan" Bang is approached with a job: work with other thieves to steal back a music album. But his band of modern-day Robin Hoods only grows when they need to target their original client instead.
Relationships: Everyone & Everyone, Everyone/Everyone, OT8 - Relationship
Series: let's go steal a leverage AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2102076
Comments: 34
Kudos: 141





	the hellevator job

**Author's Note:**

> This, my friends, is only the start of a grand adventure. Amanda, Roel, and I are bringing you a series of these, like "episodes" of a Leverage "season," but with SKZ. Please keep in mind that we are not posting the works in chronological order at first, and the titles with Korean title tracks are the main storyline, with some B-side and other works as nebulously scattered side jobs. Please ask us if you have questions. 
> 
> Side note for this story: I tried to tone down the gay, but Amanda still had to knock me down a few pegs. Whoops.

"Christopher Bang?"

Apparently, Chan can't even relax on a Friday night anymore. He heaves a sigh and turns to the man who'd slid onto the barstool next to him, setting down his glass.

"And to whom do I owe this pleasure?"

"Look," the man says, his accent vaguely Korean. "I know you used to work in the FBI. You tracked countless cases, saved your team's asses countless times, and were just very good at what you did."

Chan eyes him warily. Neatly ironed suit, flat cap tilted just so, briefcase and slightly greasy smile. He's certainly dressed in something that he feels uncomfortable in, dressed to impress. Chan, however, wants nothing to do with him, and he's pretty sure his gaze sends the message clearly enough.

But the man is not to be deterred, even in the face of Chan's stony silence. "I have a job to offer you." 

"I'm not doing it," Chan says immediately.

"No, wait, please." The man holds his hands up placatingly. "I know your heart burns for justice, or however you phrase it. The name Jinyoung Park ring a bell?"

Chan's blood freezes. It's been several years since he's heard that name in person, and he's sure the man is banking on that. Unfortunately, even though Chan knows what he's trying to do, it's working.

"I'm going to need more details," he says carefully.

For the first time, the man smiles. "I run a branch of an entertainment company you might have heard of. YG Entertainment?" He flags down the bartender and orders a whiskey before turning back to Chan. "We've been preparing for an upcoming album for one of our newer groups, their very first one, with twenty-three songs on it. But a week ago, the songs completely disappeared. No files, no tracks, nothing. Our computers were wiped of all evidence."

"And how do you know it was Jinyoung Park?"

The man types away at something on his phone, and pulls up a YouTube video dated two days ago. The title announces it as a teaser for an upcoming album from a JYP artist, and it contains clips of potential music videos with snippets of accompanying music.

"Didn't even have the foresight to wait a while before announcing a comeback," he says tightly. "Maybe his going corrupt started when he pulled funding for that orphanage."

Chan tries to push down his anger, he does. But flashes of memory flit through his mind: of his parents being dragged away from the crash and him being put into foster care, of him bouncing around from underfunded orphanage to underfunded orphanage until he thought he'd landed somewhere permanent. Of course, that didn’t last either.

He shakes himself out of his thoughts, fighting the twisting feeling in his gut as he says, "Stealing them back is a stupid risk. There are other ways of—"

"You don't understand. If I show up to the meeting with my shareholders empty-handed, my entire company could go to shambles. All my employees would be laid off, and all the trainees with bright futures... I'm desperate, alright? Please."

And curse Chan for being so emotionally invested in doing the right thing, on top of already having let his personal feelings into it, spite and otherwise.

"Am I working alone?"

The man beams. "No, of course not. I've already reached out to others, some of the best in their fields, in fact. Here."

He opens his briefcase to pull out a file folder and slides it across the bar counter to Chan, finally picking up his glass of whiskey. Chan gingerly picks it up and opens it to flip through two different profiles.

"Recognize anyone?"

Chan raises an eyebrow. "Well yeah, I've chased them both at some point _—_ Jeongin Yang? Are you serious?"

"Dead serious." The man fixes him with an intense stare that would scare a lesser man. "I told you I would deliver the best. Both Korean, too, like us."

Something in Chan shifts, and he drops the switch to given name first. "Kim Seungmin too, huh." He exhales and closes the folder. "You do know they work alone. And they're thieves, which I'm not."

The man smiles a little. "Well, that's where you're the best bet. I need an honest man I can trust to lead them."

"And you got them to agree how?"

Chuckling, the man tilts his glass toward Chan. "For enough money, you can get almost anyone to do almost anything."

* * *

Jeongin watches as Kim Seungmin plucks the headset off the table with the very tips of two of his fingers, as if it has a disease. Seungmin tosses the headset in a neat arc into the nearest trash can, and does the same for the remaining three.

"Those are primitive and useless," he says primly. "We're using my tech."

The man who had been appointed their leader, who had introduced himself as Chan, doesn't miss a beat. "Fair enough. Do you have enough for all of us?"

Seungmin scoffs and reaches into his bag, pulling out a small box and holding it out to Jeongin. Jeongin fits the little stub into his ear, surprised at the snug fit.

"They work off the vibrations in your jaw," Seungmin explains, sounding very cocksure and slightly condescending. "So you don't have to speak loudly or anything for it to detect what you're saying."

"Maybe you aren't useless," Jeongin says, mostly to cut him off, and smiles in a way he knows is particularly grating. To his credit, Seungmin just returns it, equally sardonic.

"You're lucky you have a cute face," he says, finally turning the box toward Chan.

"Alright,” Chan says, taking an earbud. “I know none of us are grifters, but just in case of a sticky situation, remember some grifting might need to be done. You all understand the main plan?"

"You went over it four times," Seungmin says, miffed. "Almost an insult, if you ask me."

Chan raises an eyebrow. "Just... being thorough. You may be thieves, but I'm not."

Jeongin can't help the almost angry rise in him. "And that makes you a better man?"

Sighing, Chan turns to level his gaze at Jeongin instead. There's something broken behind his eyes, something that Jeongin wonders about.

"I never said that."

* * *

"I still don’t get why we have to go in this way," Seungmin complains, peering over the edge of the rooftop. He's not scared of heights, exactly, but he's much more used to keeping his feet on the ground as he runs a con, letting his computers and devices do the work. "I could've posed as a staff member or custodian."

Jeongin ignores him, cradling some sort of climbing equipment. "Last time I used this rig? Paris, 2013."

Seungmin raises an eyebrow, impressed. "The Coronation of Napoleon? That was you?"

" _Let's focus, everyone,_ " Chan's voice says, buzzing almost pleasantly through Seungmin's skull. Easy for him to say, when he's sitting pretty and safe in an unused office across the street. " _J_ _eongin, go on my count._ "

Seungmin almost laughs. "You might be taking this whole leader thing too seriously. He's not gonna _—_ "

" _One, two—_ "

There's an unearthly scream, which is so high-pitched, it sounds exactly like a dolphin. Jeongin had evidently finished fastening the rig to something on the roof, because the scream had come from him as he'd hurtled toward the edge of the rooftop, catapulting himself off the edge.

" _Son of a..._ "

This time, Seungmin can’t hold back a laugh. Maybe working with Jeongin will prove to be interesting. "I told you. He's like twenty pounds of crazy in a five pound bag."

* * *

Jeongin relishes the feeling of hanging, to be honest. It grounds him in a strange way, because he can't run or do anything but sit in the rig and face his thoughts. But the thing is, that's because he's usually alone, calling his own shots. Now, there's a persistent voice in his ear, reminding him that he's supposed to be working with others.

"Office is on the twelfth floor," he grudgingly offers, looking behind him at the city lights in the growing dark. "There's vibration sensors on the inside and outside."

" _No cutting, then,_ " Chan's voice says in his ear.

Jeongin snorts. If Chan thinks he can't handle cutting the glass without triggering the sensors, he's got another think coming. He pulls out a cutting device and gets to work, drawing a circle on the window large enough for him to fit through and flinging the piece of glass behind him into the empty air.

Peeking through, he checks to make sure there aren't any lasers and disconnects himself from the rope as he slides in, putting hands first on the floor to do a handstand and then setting his legs down to stand upright.

"I'm in," he says in a low voice, careful not to move.

" _Do you see the computer?_ " Seungmin asks before Chan can say anything. " _Just get in, put the USB in it, and I'll do the rest._ "

Jeongin kind of wants to ask how Seungmin can do that from the roof, but decides it isn't worth it to ask for an explanation right now. He presses one knee carefully to the edge of the large desk so he can hoist himself onto it completely, then tucks his feet underneath him so he can swivel around on the desk to face the computer. Better not to use the creaky-looking swivel chair right now.

After he's gotten into the computer with Seungmin's help— " _Seriously, who were they trying to fool with the password whenwedisco?_ " —he inserts the USB into one of the ports, and an application pops up on the screen automatically.

" _Too easy,_ " Seungmin says, and Jeongin can practically hear the shit-eating smirk on his face before there's silence on the line. " _Wait. These files haven't been copied._ "

"Does it matter?" Jeongin asks, impatient. "We got what we came for, and we're gonna get paid big time. Do you have what you need?"

" _Yeah, it's done._ "

But Chan's voice crackles through the earpiece next. " _Jeongin, head to the security room. I can see guards working their way upward. Seungmin, the elevator shaft should be accessible from the right of where you are._ "

There's the familiar thrill of potentially being caught that skips through Jeongin's veins. Unfortunately, though, while he would have just returned to his rig if alone, blowing Seungmin off would mean that they all get caught and therefore none of them get their money. So he grits his teeth and moves toward the edge of the desk after making sure the computer is wiped and pockets the USB, easing himself onto the floor. Thankfully, the door locks from inside, so it's easy to slip out and head in the direction Chan points him in.

He doesn't even make it a few hallways before he can hear chatter up ahead.

It doesn't seem to be the guards, which is a relief. As Jeongin presses up against the wall, he can make out snatches of their conversation.

"I don't know if there's any hope for him," a female voice says. "I've been trying all kinds of things, but it's just not happening."

"Evaluations are in a week," another voice says, sounding indifferent. "We can cut him then."

A third voice. "Isn't that a bit harsh, though? He's been able to keep up with rap, and writes some amazing lyrics, which you don't usually see in trainees."

The second voice comes back. "We don't have time for someone like that as a trainee. If you think he has potential, just have him go after writing lyrics instead of being an idol. Maybe he'd like to go back to the Korean branch."

Jeongin doesn't even know the trainee they're talking about, but he doesn't like the tone they're using to talk about him. It's probably some kid who's working too hard and not bearing enough fruit to be immediately profitable.

" _Jeongin, where are you? We need you at security._ "

He blinks at Chan's voice, having forgotten for a moment about the earpieces. Shit. Well, maybe he can kill two birds with one stone. Three, if he's lucky.

He straightens up and strolls casually around the corner, coming face to face with the three employees. All three of them have tags on their clothing. Bingo.

Stumbling forward, he bumps into the two in the front and deftly removes them of their tags, then staggers a little into the third, scoring their ID as well. He makes sure to bow multiple times and stammer an apology until they feel awkward enough to turn away and continue down the hall, then grins to himself as he turns to complete the journey to the electrical room.

Seungmin’s voice this time. " _Earth to Jeongin. Seriously, I’m almost at your floor._ " 

"Okay, okay," Jeongin grumbles, pulling out a laptop and connecting a different USB Seungmin had given him to spoof the cameras, then fiddling around with the wires for the elevator. "Don't get your underwear twisted in a knot, damn."

Seungmin gasps a little in surprise as the elevator starts moving down, which only makes Jeongin grin to himself. He tells Seungmin that the hatch in the elevator's roof is open and makes a beeline for the elevator doors, making sure no one else is around as he opens them to a slightly disgruntled Seungmin.

"You didn't leave the computer in there, right?" Seungmin asks immediately.

Jeongin shakes his head, frowning. "Way to ask if I'm alright after running into some of the staff."

"Did you get their employee tags?"

Raising an eyebrow, Jeongin holds up the three tags he'd snatched earlier. "You mean these?"

" _You have approximately sixteen seconds to the ground floor,_ " Chan's voice warns.

The corner of Seungmin's mouth curves upward almost against his will, and he snorts out a laugh. Digging through his backpack, he produces a blazer. "Trade you."

Jeongin catches the blazer easily and fits it over the simple black turtleneck he'd worn. He supposes the pants will have to pass for now, and instead focuses on clipping the tag to the lapel of the blazer and slipping on a pair of glasses as the doors open with a pleasant ding.

The two of them stroll out the elevator doors casually, making for the exit. There's only a receptionist at the desk and a guard on the other side, but they barely look up as Jeongin and Seungmin exit into the cool night air.

It bothers Jeongin, actually, how easy that had been, as if JYPE hadn't been expecting anyone to come for their files, or had nothing to hide.

* * *

All three of them are stood together in a park, watching Seungmin send off the files to Hwang Min Suk.

"Hurry," Chan says, shifting his crossed arms.

"I am," Seungmin says, annoyed. "But there's something slowing down the upload, and my entire email, actually." His eyes go wide, and he starts typing frantically with one hand, fingers flying across the keys.

Jeongin peers over at the screen, but Chan knows he doesn't understand what's going on. "What happened?"

"Dammit!" Seungmin nearly drops his computer, ripping out the USB and waving it in Jeongin's face. "Did you wipe the files before you gave this to me? Is that what took you so long for the elevator?"

The flash of confusion on Jeongin's face is genuine. "What? No!"

"Really? Because it's funny that all of a sudden, all the files on the USB disappeared and the email sent anyway with the blank files. Maybe you just wanted all the credit and the money."

Chan steps between them, forcing Seungmin away from Jeongin physically. "There's probably an explanation for this. Let's not point the blame at each other needlessly."

"Then who else could've done it?" Seungmin growls, but his face goes slack in the next couple of seconds. "Unless... someone else stole it from me."

Chan's phone rings. He makes eye contact with both of them when he sees the caller ID, and takes the moment of silence to pick it up and put it on speaker.

"You have the audacity to send me blank files?"

The voice of Hwang Min Suk is unmistakable, and in his tirade, he doesn't let Chan get in a word edgewise. "This is outrageous! I knew I couldn't trust the other two, but you, you were supposed to be honest. I'm not paying any of you a single thing!"

Jeongin looks like he wants to say something, but Chan silences him with a look. "The files were stolen from us," he says, earning a vigorous nod of agreement from Seungmin. "Give us more time."

"We don't have more time! My meeting with the shareholders is at nine in the morning and I have nothing to show them? Unacceptable!"

Chan exhales, counts to three. "Look, we can meet and figure out what happened together, okay? We can be at your company headquarters in an hour."

"No!" The CEO's voice comes too quickly, panicked. "If you come here someone's bound to see you and I can't have that. Listen, we have a building we use like a warehouse, near the waterfront. I'll text you the address, be there instead."

With that, he disconnects the call.

"Well," Chan says, looking up at them. "I can go alone, if you want."

Jeongin shakes his head immediately. “You might be an honest man, but we don't operate like that. I'm not about to trust anyone else, even you, to see my payment through."

Something in Chan's chest twinges. Just how many people have lost their trust for them to be like this? But he supposes he gets it, in a way. After all, he's seen plenty of people literally get away with murder in his time.

"Alright," he relents. "We're all going together, then."

* * *

There's something creeping along Seungmin's spine.

The warehouse is dimly lit, and there doesn't seem to be anyone around. He supposes CEO Hwang had wanted absolute secrecy because he'd hired some of the best thieves in the country to do his dirty work, but it's still a bit much.

"I can get started trying to locate the files," Seungmin offers, voice naturally hushed.

"Good idea," Chan says, peering around the corner of one of the portables to the center of the building, where there's a large empty space. “Guess we'll wait.”

Seungmin gets to work, trying to locate the file source from where it had been downloaded from the USB. There's silence for a few moments as the rest of them stand around, obviously trying not to watch him. But after a couple minutes of poking around, Seungmin starts to notice errors in code that he hadn't put there. Something about it is familiar, however, almost a pattern but not quite. A method to the madness.

He recognizes this code format.

“There's someone else we should look out for,” he announces.

Jeongin frowns. “What do you mean?”

"Ah, I see you've figured it out!"

Their little huddle turns at the sound of the new voice. Leaning against the nearest portable storage unit is a figure in an oversized purple hoodie and a baseball cap pulled low over his face. He pushes off of the portable, closing his own laptop and holding up a USB stick. "Thanks for the free ride!"

"J.One," Seungmin grits out, putting every effort into making the two syllables sound like the most poisonous thing on earth.

"DandyBoy," the other hacker returns cheerfully. "Or should I say, Kim Seungmin? Can't believe I finally hacked your email, with a bonus of those precious files."

Jeongin frowns, taking a step forward. "Give it back. We obviously did the work for it."

Chan steps forward, angling himself partly between Jeongin and the new guy. “How about this," he says carefully. "You give us the files, and we each give you a fair cut of the payout."

"I'm not giving him a single cent," Seungmin says immediately. Like hell is he going to let J.One of all people take the credit for his hard work.

Jeongin also eyes the new person warily. "I dunno if I'd do that either."

"Seriously?" Chan groans. "Alright, I'll give you my cut of the money." He seems serious about it too. Poor bastard, Seungmin thinks to himself.

J.One shuffles the flash drive from one hand to the other, and pretends to think about it, but Seungmin already knows what he's going to say.

"Well, I already sent the files myself, so you're a little late. But there's a problem, see? Dude said he didn't get the audio files at all, so he's not..." J.One trails off, his eyes flashing in realization at the same time it clicks in place for Seungmin.

"Gonna pay you," Seungmin and Chan say at the same time.

"It's a trap," Chan says, already turning and running for one of the handles that opens the steel shutters in the wall. "Everyone, out of here. Now."

His tone holds no room for argument, and Seungmin isn't about to argue anyway. He runs with the rest of them, waiting for Chan to crank the handle and ducking under the rising shutter. Chan's barely made it out himself and is several feet away from the warehouse before they're all thrown to the pavement with the force of the explosion behind them.

* * *

Jisung blinks his eyes open, then screws them shut again as he winces in pain.

There's definitely enough shrapnel to keep him occupied picking it all out, but he seems to otherwise be alright. He'd landed a little wrong on one ankle, but as he sits up slowly and prods at it, it doesn't seem to be broken.

There are sirens in the distance, probably the cops, ambulances if they're extra unlucky. Looking side to side, Jisung takes stock of the others that had been in the warehouse as well. He hadn't been given much more than their names and that they would be trying to steal a JYP group's upcoming album, but it's obvious that they've all been double-crossed, likely by the same guy. Their leader, Bang Chan, is sitting up as well, and starts to stand, brushing off the debris from his coat.

"We can talk about this later, but for now, we need to get out of here. Stick around and they'll blame you for the explosion, and you've all got criminal records miles long." He turns and looks straight at Jisung. "That goes for you too."

It's as much of an invitation as Jisung's going to get. He tilts his head a little, sizing Chan up. When he'd looked into him out of curiosity, he'd found that Chan had been a former FBI agent, which only makes him more curious as to why he'd accepted this job. He's been the wild card in this entire operation, and seems like a genuinely good human being. If nothing else, Jisung can figure him out and have a place to nurse his wounds, so he sees no reason to turn him down.

"Jisung Han," he offers, trying to stand and wincing at the pain. Sure, he could've used one of his aliases, but it's not like he has anything to lose, or anything attached to his name anymore that they can use against him.

Seungmin stares at him as he stands as well. "Might be a fake name."

"You want my birth certificate, baby?" Jisung grins. Seungmin's just another bonus to going with these guys _—_ he can annoy him to no end. "I mean, since I know your name now it's just a fair trade."

Seungmin makes a face, but Jeongin interrupts them. "As great as your lovely little reunion is, we don't have much time."

"Right," Chan agrees. "Jeongin, please help Jisung out since he's limping."

Jeongin seems disgruntled, but obligingly slings one of Jisung's arms around his own shoulders. Chan grabs the other, and they're off, weaving through the warehouses near the waterfront and avoiding the ambulances just arriving at the scene.

* * *

With Jeongin and Chan's help, the four of them make it past the warehouses and to Chan's car, which thankfully fits all of them. They ride in relative silence, and Chan almost considers breaking the heavy atmosphere with small talk, but decides against it.

When they get to the pub above where Chan lives, he leads the way to the back and up a stairwell until they're standing on the small landing in front of his door. When he goes to unlock the door, however, he pauses.

It's already unlocked.

"What happened?" Jisung asks behind him, but Chan puts a finger to his lips and pushes the door open slowly.

Sitting on his couch is the last person he expects to see.

"Chris!" Felix yells, leaping to his feet and running over. "I've been waiting for hours!"

Chan blinks as he hugs Felix back. "You could've knocked," he manages, still trying to understand what's going on.

"Pshh, had to put my lock-picking skills to good use," Felix says, waving his hand. "Who are these people?"

"Jeongin," Jeongin offers, sidling into the apartment as Chan moves to the side. "And I approve of the lock-picking."

"Jisung. But you can call me anytime." The hacker grins at Felix, and Chan feels something like dread in his stomach. If Felix befriends all of them, as he no doubt will…

Felix smiles at them before turning to Seungmin, tilting his head inquisitively. "And you?"

Seungmin looks a little caught, as if he knows that giving an alias would earn him questions from the others. "Seungmin," he says reluctantly. "So you know Chan?"

Felix frowns. "Chan?"

"Been going by that nowadays," Chan shrugs. "What are you doing in America?"

"Snuck onto a boat," Felix beams.

Chan sighs. "Then I guess you've invited yourself to stay with me."

"That's right." Felix frowns. "But I'll find a job or something, I swear. I won’t freeload."

Raising an eyebrow, Chan says, "You don't have to, but we can figure out a work visa later if you want. For now, I need to hold a meeting with these, er, lovely people here."

"Okay," Felix says, turning around and flopping back onto the couch.

The sour feeling in Chan's stomach is back. He doesn't want Felix to get caught up in all this. They'd bounced around in the Australian foster care system together for so long until Chan had been adopted into a Korean family and had actually gone to college, eventually landing a job with the FBI and moving to America. By keeping up with Felix occasionally, he'd picked up snatches of Felix picking up dance, taekwondo, and eventually starting to steal for the benefit of others that had been pushed around by the system as well. He knows Felix can take care of himself. But a job like this is Chan's to take care of, and now involves these other people, not by his choice.

"Felix," he says carefully. "We need a little privacy."

Felix frowns at him from his place on the couch. "Why?"

"Basically, we're gonna out-backstab a backstabbing rich guy, so we need a plan," Jisung supplies unhelpfully.

"You're running a con?" Felix gasps, his eyes widening. "I want in!"

"No," Chan says desperately at the same time Jisung says, "Hell yeah!"

Surprisingly, it's Seungmin who turns to look at Chan, raising an eyebrow. "Obviously, he has skill and you already trust him. Why not?"

Chan looks around at their faces. They wouldn't understand his need to keep Felix safe, but he can almost hear voices in his head, telling him that Felix has grown, that he's capable, that Chan doesn't need to constantly watch his back.

Another one tells him that he wants to see Felix's skills for himself.

A long exhale. "Fine," Chan says wearily, and they all cheer. "But Felix, even though I know you can be a hitter, you're also a thief, so I'm gonna need someone more firmly in the hitter role. Also, we’re seriously going to need a grifter."

Felix pouts, but nods in understanding. "Anyone in mind?"

Chan doesn't know if he's going to regret this. "For the hitter, an old partner of mine."

“From the FBI?”

Chan nods. “Assuming he says yes, that leaves a grifter.” 

It’s Jeongin that raises two fingers. “I know a guy.” 

“Is he in the city?” Chan asks. “And do you trust him?”

“Pretty sure, yeah.” Jeongin doesn’t specify which question he’s answering, but that’s enough for Chan for now.

“Get him here as fast as possible, then.” 

* * *

Jeongin half expects the call to not go through, but it’s picked up on the fourth ring.

“Missed me that much, Jeongin?” 

Jeongin rolls his eyes. “Maybe if you stop teasing me you can get in on this job, Hyunjin.” 

Hyunjin gasps dramatically, pretending to be hurt. “What’s in it for me?” 

“Massive payout, since we’re basically tackling a multinational company.” 

There’s a hum of consideration on Hyunjin’s end. Jeongin would like to think they’re technically friends after having suffered through haughty rich parents and doing some cons together, but the truth is that they’ve kind of been in a nebulous area skirting that label. They certainly haven’t spent more than a couple days together at a time, so he can’t say for certain that he knows Hyunjin well enough to know whether he’ll take the job. 

But Hyunjin manages to surprise him. 

“Where are you, anyway?” 

Jeongin stops himself from sighing in relief. “I’ll text you the address. Expect four or five other people here, though.” 

Hyunjin whistles. “What happened to working alone?” 

“We’ve worked together,” Jeongin points out. 

“Yeah, but we both wanted to shove it in rich people’s faces.” 

Jeongin starts to grin. “Well, that part hasn’t changed, at least.” 

* * *

Changbin certainly isn't expecting a call from Bang Chan of all people on a weeknight.

"If it isn't Bang Christopher Chan himself," he jokes by way of greeting. "Must be important for you to be bothering me right now."

He can almost hear a swallow on the other end of the line. "I need to talk to you in person. Can you come over?"

Changbin frowns, though he already feels himself wavering. Chan wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. "Alright," he says at last. "Give me twenty minutes."

He's up and out of his chair almost immediately, trading his pajamas for jeans and a t-shirt and grabbing his jacket and wallet on his way out the door. Ignoring the chill of the evening, he manages to drive to the pub in record time and makes his way past the chatter and busy tables of the interior to the back, knocking on the door at the top of the stairwell.

The person who opens the door is definitely not Chan.

He's barely taller than Changbin, bandaged and leaning on a crutch, and his mouth falls open a little as he looks at Changbin. Without tearing his eyes away, he calls back into the apartment, "Chan, your boyfriend's here!"

The head that peers over the first guy's shoulder isn't Chan either, but as innocent as his eyes and freckles seem, he's also assessing Changbin.

"Definitely FBI," he nods solemnly.

Changbin has no idea what's going on, even when Chan finally shows up, his hair mussed and floppy, and tiredly nudges the two of them away from the door. "For the last time," he grumbles, "old partner does not have to mean we dated."

He turns a smile toward Changbin, though, and Changbin feels the knot of could-have-beens loosen in his chest as he smiles back, albeit a bit nervously. "Uh, hey. Who are these people?"

"I'll tell you in just a moment." Chan ushers him inside, where he finally notices three more people sitting on the couch. One of them has foxlike eyes that crinkle mischievously at the corners along with the barest hint of a smile. The one next to him cocks his head slightly, almost like a dog wondering who this newcomer is, and the last purses full lips, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Changbin supposes he should be polite and introduce himself, but as he moves toward them, he feels Chan tug at his elbow, guiding him toward the bedrooms instead. "Privately."

Changbin obligingly follows him into the nearest one and leans against the wall once the door is shut behind them, crossing his arms. "So?"

Chan sighs and sits down on the edge of the bed. "You have to promise to hear me out completely."

Changbin nods and waits.

"A man approached me with a... a job, I guess you could say. He told me he'd put together a team of thieves to steal his music back from the CEO of JYP Entertainment. But he also hired another hacker to steal the files from us, and then lured all of us into a trap to turn us against each other so he could blow us all up." He takes a breath. "So we're just going to, well, turn the tables on him."

Changbin kind of can't believe what he's hearing. "So you want to work outside the law to get back at him. Run a con."

"Well, yeah."

The more Changbin thinks about it, though, the angrier he gets. He's seen plenty of these white collar types get away with murder with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. He's seen all his hard work in taking down criminals go to waste just because of power, influence, or money, most often all three. If they can take this guy down, well, he'd certainly get what he deserves.

"And why do you need me, specifically?" he asks.

Chan looks up at him, worry swimming in his eyes. "I need you to be a hitter. Selfishly, it's partly so that Felix doesn't have to."

Changbin remembers Chan mentioning Felix once or twice, a childhood friend from Australia. "He's here?"

"One of the guys who met you at the door."

Changbin doesn't really need the care and worry radiating off of Chan to convince him at this point, but it only adds icing to the cake.

"Don't worry, I'm in."

* * *

Hyunjin certainly likes this part of the plan.

Reconnaissance is always a place for his grifting abilities to shine, and in a party like this, with all the elites of the music industry, the marks are ripe and easy for the picking.

“Who’s the main mark again?” he asks lowly as he moves through the crowd and tries not to get distracted by an idol he recognizes. He hadn't even realized that YG Entertainment’s American branch was this big already, but he supposes that's to be expected when they're competing with JYP and other big name companies for global recognition.

“ _Ka Minseok or Yang Jonghyun,_ ” Chan says in his earpiece. “ _Either will do, but the main point is to find out how much Hwang trusts his board, or if his under-the-table dealings like us are hidden from them too._ ”

 _"If you run into any trouble, I'll step in. Chan and I are keeping tabs on you visually too._ ” It's Changbin's voice, and maybe Hyunjin is trying not to think about him in that crisp suit. 

He doesn't bother responding, but nods instead, scanning the party for faces matching what Seungmin and Jisung had pulled up for the board of directors. There's one he can see from here, a stern-looking man with glasses and a wide jawline. Ka Minseok. Hyunjin immediately doesn't trust him, but then again, he's never trusted a mark.

The problem is, as Hyunjin plucks a glass of champagne off a serving tray and is about to head over, someone else smoothly steps over to Ka and offers him a glass. Shit. Hyunjin starts to get annoyed, but something about the man smiling at the mark gives him pause, and he looks closer.

The man, with his shapely nose and slightly quirked lips, is maintaining eye contact with the director, occasionally tapping his arm and laughing in all the right places. The director is starting to smile, the stern lines of his mouth relaxing, in a shorter amount of time than Hyunjin would have thought. Hyunjin knows exactly what this man is doing, because he'd been about to do all the same things himself.

He's a grifter. There's no other explanation.

"Chan," he murmurs. "We kind of have a problem. Someone else is trying to run a con on one of the marks."

* * *

"What?" Chan asks, blinking. He'd been sharing a drink with Changbin and simultaneously trying to keep an eye on Hyunjin. But his eyes slide over to Ka Minseok, and the man next to him, whom Chan did not expect to recognize.

"Lee Minho, you sure show up in all the wrong places at the right times," he mutters to himself.

"What was that?" Changbin asks. "Did you say what I think you said?"

But Chan isn't listening to him at the moment, instead watching Minho's every move as closely as possible. Minho leans in toward the mark, smile bright in a way that Chan only knows is fake through plenty of experience chasing it down.

"Shit," Changbin says, downing the rest of his glass. "Really is him. When was the last time we saw him, huh? Damascus?"

Chan swallows a little and forces himself to be professional. This is no time to be sidetracked. "Hyunjin, Jeongin," he instructs. "Get close enough for us to hear their conversation. We'll see if we can get any information by proxy, and then if it isn't enough we can turn to the other mark."

" _Roger,_ " Hyunjin agrees, and Chan can see him moving through the crowd. Jeongin, who'd dressed as a waiter, moves in that direction as well and pretends to strike up a conversation with Hyunjin, low enough that they can't be heard by Minho or the mark but enough to be believable. For his part, Chan tunes in to what Minho is saying.

" _Ah yes,_ " Minho nods. " _I_ _did hear about that scandal with your boss. Bit of a nasty business, that. Of course, the press only ever scratches the surface, don't they? What they don't know won't hurt them._ "

Ka clears his throat a little. " _Well, clearly. But we as a company have put all that in the past. CEO Hwang has turned over a new leaf._ "

" _Oh, I don't know about that one,_ " Minho says, fiddling with a button on his shirt. " _Seems to me that he's hiding his assets from trusted coworkers and employees. Would be a shame if something else came to light, wouldn't it?_ "

Chan can already feel the hackles rising on the mark, and he tenses at the expression he sees.

" _Are you suggesting I turn against my own employer by divulging company secrets, Mr. Adrian Cho? Or worse, are you blackmailing us?_ "

" _Nothing of the sort,_ " Minho says, trying to backtrack, but Chan can already see Ka looking over Minho's shoulder, possibly for security, and damn him, he can't let Minho be hurt.

"Changbin," he murmurs. "I'll take this one."

Changbin follows at a slower pace as Chan makes a beeline for Ka and Minho, his thoughts whirling. He snatches a champagne glass and purposefully puts a slight stumble in his step and a dopey smile on his face as he calls out a greeting.

"Adrian!" He makes sure it's a little too loud and punctuated by an equally grating laugh. "There you are!"

If Minho is surprised to see him, he thankfully doesn't show it. "Ah, guess I couldn't avoid you forever, Carter."

"You left me all alone," Chan whines petulantly, slinging an arm around Minho's shoulders. "Right as I was about to introduce you to some friends, too!"

"Sorry, sorry," Minho says, and looks at the baffled mark apologetically. "I have to deal with this, if you don't mind."

Without waiting for an answer, he steers Chan away from the director and into the crowd, all the way to the far end of the room, where he finally slips free of Chan's grasp.

"Thanks," he says, "but also no thanks. I was fine."

Chan raises an eyebrow. "He was about to get you physically thrown out. I think we have varying definitions of fine."

Minho glances over his shoulder, a habit that Chan knows comes from being too used to having no one else to watch his back. "So did you drag me away to have the honor of arresting me instead?"

"No," Chan says firmly, trying to keep his thoughts in order. "I want to know what dirt you have on him. You working with anyone right now?"

"You know I work alone," Minho returns flippantly. "And why would I do something like that? About as likely as you going rogue."

Chan rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah, well. About that..."

Minho's eyes widen. "You are?” When Chan doesn't answer, he continues, “Holy shit, you are. The Bang Christopher Chan, no cap." He pauses, studying Chan in that intense way that never quite leaves Chan's mind. "Always thought you had it in you, you know."

"It's just one job," Chan says quickly. "A walkaway and mostly revenge. I'm not working alone, either."

"Of course not," Minho scoffs. "Not your style. I take it Changbinnie's here too, then."

Chan's at a loss for words. "Uh, yeah. Almost sent him to bail you out. But there's some others, and we're not here on behalf of the FBI." He's not entirely sure why he's trusting Minho with this information, but it feels right, somehow, as do the words he says next. "Care to join us?"

Minho's smile is as pretty as it is dangerous. "You playing the black king? Wouldn't miss this for the world."

* * *

They end up back at Chan's apartment, since Seungmin and Jisung had dug up more information.

Jisung’s still trying to wrap his head around working with Seungmin instead of against him. He's so used to the only contact between them being lines of code and anonymous nicknames that he keeps looking over at Seungmin as everyone files into the living area, just to make sure he hasn't disappeared into letters and symbols.

“What,” Seungmin asks, eyeing him warily.

“Nothing, just, kinda surprised.”

Seungmin’s eyes draw together, as if already wary of what Jisung will say next. “Why?” he asks, sounding like he'd much rather not be asking at all.

Jisung nudges his arm. “I know we're like rivals or whatever but we actually work well together.”

This time, Seungmin almost starts to smile, but catches himself. “You're messy and disorganized and seriously need to clean the crumbs from your keyboard.”

“It works for me,” Jisung shrugs. “Just like your absolutely parallel and perpendicular, meticulously clean workspace works for you.”

Seungmin stares at him for a moment, and if Jisung had to pinpoint the expression on his face, he’d label it a mix of surprise and guilt. But it’s gone as soon as it appears, and Seungmin turns away to address the group at large.

“Okay. We dug up whatever we could on Hwang Min Suk. Financials, company records, all of it. There are some things that don’t add up.” 

Jisung isn’t about to let him do all the talking. “You don’t need to know much about his history. Rich dad who was a friend of the company’s founder in Korea, obviously trying to expand the American branch, but got into a scandal or two _—_ something about underpaid labor and intellectual property rights. Nasty stuff for us mere mortals, but well, he’s rich and powerful.”

Seungmin nods. “Which leads us to the files that we supposedly stole back from JYP Entertainment.” 

Jisung can see the moment Chan catches on. “Now, making a copy of those files would be very wrong…”

“Of course, of course,” Jisung says, trying to suppress his grin as he shakes his head exaggeratedly at Seungmin. “Very wrong.” He can see the slightly amused quirk to Seungmin’s mouth, which he counts as a win.

“Let’s see the files, then,” Chan laughs. 

Seungmin points the clicker at the TV, which springs to life with multiple windows, the foremost one showing lines of code. “Just like I thought before, there’s no sign any copies of this were made before I got there, and the copyright claims check out, but not in Hwang’s favor.” 

“You’re saying we didn’t steal them back, but just stole them outright,” Jeongin says slowly. He whistles. “Can he use them?”

Jisung shrugs. “He doesn’t have to. It’s just a step on the way to sabotaging JYPE, because they’ve been head to head in the music industry scene for years now and he can use the time to promote more of his artists and get ahead of the competition.” 

He watches as they fall mostly silent, and can almost feel their collective discomfort. Minho is the first to move, turning toward Chan. 

“Well?” he asks, looking expectantly at the man next to him. Jisung can swear they have this charge between them, something electric and constant. “What are you thinking, Chan?” 

Chan stares back at him for a moment, then turns to the rest of them.

“I’m thinking fiddles.”

While most of them stare at him in confusion, Minho looks to Changbin, who offers him a knowing smirk in response.

“Well, Chan hasn’t changed a bit,” Minho says cheerfully. “Let’s get to work.” 

* * *

“Sir,” Minho says, tone dripping with respect as he bows. “About that trainee I mentioned…” 

Hwang Min Suk sighs in irritation. “I don’t have time for this right now, Cho. We’re still preparing our debut group for Coachella.” 

Minho definitely hates working here, even if he’s technically not an actual employee. He’d taken weeks to wriggle his ways into the good graces of the board of directors and consequently get more time with CEO Hwang himself. They’d set Hyunjin up in the company as well, but as a trainee, he doesn’t see all this bullshit politics in the highest reaches of the company. The things Minho’s heard behind closed doors about some of the lower-ranked staff and even some of the trainees is enough to make his blood boil. But he’s nothing if not professional, and thankfully returning to see the others in their makeshift crew has been cathartic and interesting enough to keep him here. He’s even managed to completely avoid the executive director that he’d almost pissed off at the party. He can do this. 

“Right, but sir, your meeting after this was cancelled, so I think it would be beneficial to take a look at this trainee’s music.” Minho adjusts the round, non-prescription glasses Jisung had given him. “I did tell you he composes and produces on his own, and that would take a load off the company for having to allot people for ghostwriting and other parts of production to him.” 

He hates insinuating that using Hyunjin or any trainee to do more than what should be asked of them is a bonus point for the company, but at least Hyunjin knows it’s happening and he’s not actually a trainee. Besides, the more Minho looks into Hwang’s character up close, the more he learns about how the man thinks, and it’s the best thing to say at the moment. 

Hwang looks up at him for a moment, and Minho can almost see the gears whirring in his head as the door to the meeting room opens and another board member joins them for the upcoming meeting. 

“Yoo,” Hwang calls to them suddenly, and the board member turns from where they’re arranging papers on the table. “You heard of this trainee? Jin Haneul?” 

The man’s eyes widen in recognition, and Minho waits for it, glad he’d had the foresight to have introduced Hyunjin _—_ or Haneul, as he’s known here _—_ to any of the board members who agreed to listen to the tracks Jisung had whipped up for them. They’d been surprised and impressed, but none of them had actually followed up on promises to put in a word with Hwang himself, perhaps because Hwang rules with an iron fist. 

“Ah, yes, I do know him,” Yoo says carefully. “Cho introduced us, and his music.” 

“And?” 

“It’s very good, sir.” He straightens his tie a little. “Perhaps even ready for debut.” 

Bingo. Minho catches himself before he smiles. 

Hwang pauses, and it only takes that much for Minho to know he’s won this round. 

“Very well, then. I’ll call for Jin Haneul after this meeting.” 

Bowing low, Minho says, “Thank you, sir. You won’t regret it.” 

* * *

On a slightly lower floor of the company, Jeongin grins to himself as he hears the exchange through his earbud and the small hiss of victory from Chan, who’s sitting with Jisung, Seungmin, Felix, and Changbin in a cafe a few blocks down. 

Minho’s managed to impress Jeongin for sure with his dedication and persistence. He should probably take a couple points from him about grifting at some point, since he’s having a tough enough time pretending to be a regular trainee and blend in with kids, some of them almost a decade younger than him. 

He frowns back at the sheet music in front of him, trying to focus again, but it’s all gone from his memory. Sighing, he lifts his hands from the piano, glad that he’s the only one using this practice room right now. 

“ _Need more help?_ ” Jisung asks in his ear.

“What I need is to never look at sheet music again,” Jeongin grumbles, earning a laugh from both Jisung and Seungmin. 

“ _You’ll get the hang of it_ ,” Seungmin reassures him. 

Jeongin glances at the clock. “But I’m not even a real trainee. Do I have to do the stupid monthly evaluation thing?” 

“ _Actually, Jeongin, now’s the time to go to the offices._ ”

Jeongin is out of his seat before Chan even finishes his sentence. “Finally, god. Do you know how long I’ve been sitting here?” 

It’s Hyunjin’s voice that drifts through his in-ear, even though Jeongin is pretty sure he’s in a group dance lesson. “ _I’ll give you a massage later, Innie!_ ”

Before Jeongin can register the nickname, Felix pipes up as well. “ _Ooh, I’m also good at massages. I wanna do one for Innie, too!_ ”

“Innie?” he asks, bewildered. 

“ _I think it’s cute,_ ” Changbin says. “ _Do you not like it?_ ”

Jeongin doesn’t know how to feel, a mix of emotions welling up at once. But he does know that if he’s been given a nickname, and at least three of these people have latched onto it, then maybe he’s been accepted, and that’s more than he can say for anywhere else he’s been. 

“No, it’s fine,” he says. “I don’t mind it.” 

“ _Dear god, he’s cute,_ ” he hears Jisung mutter, and is glad no one’s there to see the tips of his ears turn pink.

“ _As cute as Jeongin is, he really needs to get moving,_ ” Chan says, trying to steer them back on track. “ _You know where the office is, right?_ ” 

Jeongin gives him an affirmative hum, slipping out of the practice room and into the hall. There’s a couple trainees at the far end, most likely waiting for a practice room to open up, so he waves them over before heading for the stairs, less likely to run into anyone here than in the elevators. 

As he finally makes it to the correct floor, he slips into the hall, checking for people. It’s just past the end of a normal work day, so the floor is empty, and he slips down the hall, remembering the layout of the place from when he’d gone over it with Felix. He makes it to the end of the short hallway, where there’s a large door with Hwang’s name imprinted on the glass. Fucking rich people. 

It’s locked, of course, but there’s no keypad, so it only takes a few moments to pick the lock and push his way inside. He can hear the meeting the CEO is in through Minho’s earbud, so he only has to check for anything that might trip alarms before sidling along the wall to a door at the far end, which leads into an archive of sorts. 

“Cameras?” he whispers. 

“ _Taken care of_ ,” Jisung assures him. “ _They can’t see you even if they check_.”

“Okay, and what about the filing system?” 

“ _Seungminnie made a very ‘don’t disturb me I’m working’ face, so he’s probably got it,_ ” Felix says, and Jeongin can hear the smile in his voice. Maybe this is why Chan is so fond of him. 

Focus. Jeongin shakes his head, deciding to just start with the far left and work his way along the shelves. As he moves along them, he can see that they’re mostly sorted by date, so that narrows it down. However, there are no other labels on each CD or tape, just black marker. 

“Seems like each artist’s name is crossed out or something,” he says, picking up a CD and turning it over. 

There’s no answer for a moment or two, and he’s about to ask for someone to answer him when there’s a sound in his earpiece of someone banging their fist against something. 

“ _That’s it_ ,” Seungmin says urgently. “ _Jeongin, if you can, just find the album we came for and then grab as many others as you can._ ” 

Jeongin frowns but complies, going far enough down the row to find a box with USBs at the bottom and finding the one marked _Present: You_ , the name of the album that Hwang had paid them to steal. He shoves that one in his pocket first, then reaches out to grab the rest of the USBs in the box as well as plenty of the CDs around them. These he stuffs into his small backpack. 

“ _Jeongin_ ,” Minho says, just as urgent as Seungmin. “ _He’s called for Hyunjin already, so you don’t have much time before he’s down there._ ” 

Before Jeongin can reply, he hears the door to the office open. 

* * *

“So nice to have you, Jin Haneul,” Hwang says, opening the door to his office. “A bit older for a trainee though, no?” 

Hyunjin feels his hackles rise, but passes it off with an appropriately nervous laugh. “Ah, my parents just wanted me to get through undergrad first.” 

He can practically feel the sleaze in Hwang’s smile, and hopes fervently that Jeongin had managed to hide or get out somehow, a strange feeling because he’s never had to care about someone else in a con before. 

“A noble ambition,” Hwang says, nodding. “Please, have a seat and show me what you have.” 

Hyunjin pulls out the chair in front of the desk and sits down, opening the laptop with various black devices he doesn’t understand but which Jisung had promised would make it look as though he knows what he’s doing. He opens the latest project, a demo they’d recorded with his voice, which isn’t too bad if he does say so himself. His opening notes drift out from the speakers, accompanied by firm piano chords, something sentimental but with clear direction as it builds to a rap underscored with a stronger bassline. He can see Hwang taking interest, the top half of his body still but slightly leaned forward, his eyes intent. 

Hyunjin lets the song play out until the last echoes of voices fade out with the final chorus. There’s silence in the room for a few moments. 

“So,” Hwang says, and his face is unreadable for a moment. “What do you call this song?” 

Hyunjin bites his lip nervously. “ _Hellevator_ , sir.” 

“How much do you want for it?” 

Something twists in Hyunjin’s gut, even though it’s the result he’d wanted. 

“ _Use it,_ ” Minho says lowly in his ear, and his resolve hardens. 

“Sorry?” he says out loud, his eyebrows furrowing just slightly as if confused. 

Hwang smiles, a thin veneer of politeness. “I’ll even throw in a ghostwriting contract. You write some songs for our debut group, we pay you.” 

Hyunjin pauses, blinking for effect. “But sir, I would like to be able to perform my own songs. I joined the company in order to debut and I intend to do so.” 

“I can give you enough money to retire right now,” Hwang says, his gaze hardening. “You’d be a fool not to accept it.” 

“ _Reel him in a little more before you leave_ ,” Chan says. 

Pausing for a moment, Hyunjin lets the conflicting emotions flicker across his face. “But sir, I want to be credited for my songs. That’s worth more to me than money.” 

Hwang snorts. “That simple a request? We can do that.” 

“ _He’s obviously not going to,_ ” Changbin growls. 

Hyunjin knows it too, but he only lets himself grit his teeth mentally. “Sir, with all due respect, I just told you I would like to perform my songs as well. If I’m not even respected that much, I might as well take my music to another company. JYP, maybe.” 

Something flickers across Hwang’s face, and then his expression settles back to neutral. “If you think that fazes me, you clearly don’t know the power I have, and you’re welcome to leave.”

It’s a clear dismissal. Making sure that his hands are shaking slightly, Hyunjin reaches for his laptop, closing it with the track still open. 

“Well sir, thank you for your time. I wish you the best.” 

He turns with the laptop tucked under his arm, and as he leaves, he can hear Hwang saying, “Be careful out there.” 

It doesn’t sound sincere at all.

* * *

“All of these are stolen.” 

Changbin looks over the back of his seat at Seungmin, who’s sorting through the physical copies of the music taken from the archive with Jeongin and Felix. They’d all migrated from the cafe to the rental van, closer to the company headquarters, but Changbin can swear only Felix had been there apart from the two hackers and Chan before. 

“Wait, when did Jeongin get here?” 

Jeongin barely spares him a glance, but his voice is carefully blank. “The vents, unfortunately.” 

“Right,” Changbin says, still bewildered. “So you said they’re stolen?” 

Seungmin takes off his headphones, placing them next to his monitors. “Yeah. We’ve been comparing these original masters to the released version, and it’s the same person singing them, but none of the voices match any YG artists, even in the Korean branch.” 

“They just altered the pitch to match instead,” Jisung says, jaw clenching. “On the bright side, some of this stuff was what they were accused of in a previous scandal, but all of this together is way more indisputable. Their stock could seriously plummet if this was taken to court, even if they get off scot free.” 

Seungmin is already typing away at his computer. “I’ll compile all the actual artists.” 

Changbin glances at Chan. “That enough for you?” 

Chan’s mouth is pressed into a thin line. “No, we can’t just tackle this with just a few of us or the artists themselves. Too easy to silence. We need something bigger, in a place where it can’t be ignored.” 

He’s not looking at Changbin, so Changbin takes the opportunity to study him for a moment. There’s something harder about the lines of his face than Changbin is used to, something more hungry in the set of his eyes and jaw. But still, he looks…

“You look better,” Changbin comments, trying to make it casual. 

Chan finally glances at him from the driver’s seat, a question on the tip of his tongue. “Yeah?” 

“After all this started, I mean.” Changbin is vaguely aware of the rest of them being quieter, maybe listening in, so he keeps his voice low. “Like you have a direction now.” 

Chan exhales slowly.

“Does it bother you?” It’s probably not a good thing to prod at this, but Changbin likes to think they’re close enough that Chan wouldn’t take it too much to heart that Changbin is asking about it. 

“It isn’t supposed to feel—”

“Good?” Jisung asks sharply. He scoots his chair over to them, giving Chan a look that Changbin can only interpret as challenging and just a touch defensive. “It’s not that hard to figure out. Hwang screwed you over, or us, and so your honest man mind has him pegged as the bad guy.” He pauses, studying Chan as well. “And, of course, they say spite’s one of the greatest motivators.” 

Chan looks back at him for a long moment, and Changbin wonders whether he’ll have to intervene when Chan sighs. 

“You’re right,” he says sincerely. 

Jisung seems slightly taken aback by that, but he starts to smile. “Course I am.” He glances toward Changbin as well, much less hostile. “Y’all should try it out sometime. Being one of the bad guys, I mean.” 

He squeezes Chan’s shoulder before retreating, and Chan looks back at Changbin, sharing a look of understanding. 

“ _You need to look at the cameras,_ ” Minho says in their earpieces, breaking the moment. “ _Just saw trouble walk through Hwang’s office door._ ” 

“Seungmin,” Chan says, a switch flipping in his expression. “The cameras.” 

Seungmin turns back to his monitors, one of which is showing the security camera feed in the archive Jeongin had been in. There are two men, big and burly, listening to Hwang say something to them and pointing to a picture he’d pulled up on his phone. 

“Zoom in,” Chan says, having clambered into the back and leaning over Seungmin’s shoulder. 

While Seungmin complies, Changbin climbs into the back and peers at the screen next to Felix. The image is a little blurry, but unmistakably Hyunjin. When Seungmin zooms back out, the two men nod at Hwang and leave the archives back through Hwang’s office. 

“Changbin,” Chan starts, but Changbin’s already on the move. 

“Got it,” he says, making his way around Jeongin and toward the back of the van. He throws open the doors and hits the ground running, heading straight for the company building a block away. The others’ voices echo in his head along with the pounding of his feet as he dodges a couple pedestrians.

“ _Hyunjin, you’re on the third floor?_ ”

“ _F_ _irst practice room by the stairwell_ ,” Hyunjin confirms.

“ _I can’t go with him?_ ” Felix asks, probably directed at Chan. “ _I can fight._ ”

“ _I_ _t’s just two people,_ ” Chan assures him. “ _Besides, there’s a job for you later._ _Minho, let Changbin in through the second exit route_.” 

“ _Already on it._ ” 

Changbin changes direction to round the building to the back, where a door opens and Minho pokes his head out. 

“This way,” he calls, and Changbin hurtles through, banking left and into the still-open elevator that Minho had taken down. Minho barely manages to squeeze in before the elevator doors close, and shakes his head at Changbin. 

“You really were about to leave me down there,” he says, clicking his tongue in disappointment. 

Changbin raises an eyebrow. “Sorry, but Hyunjin is a priority right now. Hyunjin, stall until I get there.” 

He can practically read the amusement in the way Minho tilts his head at him, soft elevator music playing in the background. “I’ll make sure to get into a dangerous situation in the future then, so I can be a priority too.” 

Changbin chokes, and he can hear someone whistling in the earbud. He doesn’t even know how to respond as Minho turns away, his small smirk evident as the elevator doors open. Thankfully, Changbin can just redirect his attention to striding out into the hallway, making for the first door as Hyunjin had directed. 

He throws the door open without preamble, effectively turning the men’s attention to him instead of Hyunjin. He doesn’t give them a moment to breathe, just strides forward and punches one in the stomach. 

“Haneul,” he grunts as the other man circles behind him, barely remembering Hyunjin’s alias. “Get out of here.” 

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Hyunjin says, picking up the laptop and moving toward the door.

Changbin throws his elbow behind him at the second man, who clutches his stomach as he grunts in pain but turns to Hyunjin instead. 

“Oh no, this isn’t for you,” Hyunjin says, but Changbin loses the rest of the sentence as he lands a fist on the first man’s cheekbone and steps neatly into a kick to the stomach in quick succession. There’s the unmistakable sound of a blow behind him, however, and he turns as the first man staggers to find that the second had punched Hyunjin in the stomach. Hyunjin doubles over, winded, and the attacker grabs the laptop before it can slip out of Hyunjin’s grasp. 

“Thanks,” he sneers, holding it up, but when Hyunjin and Changbin start to make a grab for it, he pretends to drop it, only to catch it in the other hand. 

“I’ll actually drop it if you don’t let me go,” the man threatens, breathing hard. 

Changbin and Hyunjin freeze. A moment passes by, then another. 

“ _More trouble coming this way_ ,” Minho warns in their ears, having stayed outside the practice room. 

“Good boys,” the man sneers, backing toward the door. As he disappears outside, two more men come in, and Changbin grits his teeth. 

“Stay behind me,” he tells Hyunjin, and lunges forward. 

He feints for one man, and uses the moment the other lunges toward him as an opportunity to trip him into the first. From there, he makes quick work of them, punching jaws and stomachs and using single-leg takedowns until they’re piled in a heap on the ground. 

“Well,” Hyunjin says as Changbin stands back upright, cracking his neck. “Thanks. I didn’t know that’s what you did.” 

Changbin is startled into a laugh. “I thought Chan told you all?” 

Hyunjin shrugs. “Wasn’t paying attention.” 

“Wish I could’ve seen it up close,” Minho says from the entrance to the room, grinning as he leans against the doorframe. “Especially in that shirt.”

Looking down at himself, Changbin wonders if his shirt is revealing or something. It’s just a simple black v-neck, though he supposes it’s nicely fitted. “Uh…”

“ _We have video footage if you want, Minho_ ,” Jisung laughs. 

Minho lights up immediately, teasing smile thrown Changbin’s way. “Lovely. Let’s blow this joint, then.” 

“ _Don’t you dare make a dick joke, Han Jisung_.” Changbin isn’t sure whether to genuinely be scared of Seungmin, but it’s a blessing in disguise when no one says anything in response; he’s flustered enough as it is. 

Chan sighs, and Changbin can almost see him rubbing his temples. “ _Just, all of you get out of there before anyone else comes by._ ” 

Changbin frowns. “But the guy got the laptop with the tracks.” 

“ _Don’t worry,_ ” Chan says, and there’s definitely a smirk in his voice. “ _All part of the plan._ ” 

* * *

Chan takes pity on them and allows them all to crash at his place for the night, something Seungmin is very thankful for. But his work isn’t done, and Jisung seems to be of the same mind, because they both settle into makeshift workstations at Chan’s coffee table without having to say anything as Chan and Minho go downstairs to the pub to get them all something to eat. Thankfully, Jeongin had left behind audio transmitters at Seungmin’s request in Hwang’s office and the archive room before he’d left, so he settles in to wait for anything of interest as he continues his research into the original artists of the master recordings they’d recovered. 

“Whatcha doing?” 

Seungmin jumps, but it’s only Felix peering over his shoulder. 

“Just finding the original artists and waiting.” 

Felix actually looks interested. “Can I help?” 

That gives Seungmin pause for a moment. He’s always worked alone, so his first instinct is to turn Felix away and get back to it by himself. But he’s already worked with Jeongin, taken orders from Chan—hell, even worked in tandem with Jisung. What’s one more at this point?

“Sure,” he shrugs. “Might get boring, though.” 

“I just want to be helpful,” Felix says, and he sounds so earnest that Seungmin wonders why he’d considered saying no in the first place. 

Carefully, he removes the headphones from his head and puts them over Felix’s ears instead. “If Hwang says anything about Hyunjin’s tracks, tell us immediately.” 

Felix nods eagerly and scoots over on the couch so that their knees knock together. He isn’t sure what to do about it, but Felix is mostly quiet, so he allows it, bringing his laptop to rest on his knees so the headphone cords can fall slack without stretching too much. 

“No fair,” Jisung complains. “I want a buddy, too.” 

“That would be me,” Hyunjin says, dramatically draping himself over the back of the couch on the side of Jisung that’s farther from Seungmin. “You called?” 

Jisung makes a face. “I meant other than you.” 

“Hey!” 

As the two fall to bickering—good-naturedly, Seungmin hopes—Felix giggles and Seungmin is momentarily distracted by the way his freckled cheeks squish his eyes into crescents before he turns back to his work. Better not to think about it too much, especially if none of them will see each other after this job. 

He and Jisung are about two thirds of the way through matching the original artists to tracks when Felix gasps and grabs Seungmin’s arm. 

“Are you recording what’s being said in Hwang’s office?” 

Seungmin shakes his head. “Not yet, but we can.” 

“Hand it over,” Jisung says, and Felix dutifully hands him the headphones. Jisung clicks a few things on his screen to start recording, and as he listens more, a grin starts to grow on his face. 

“What’s he doing?” Hyunjin asks impatiently.

Jisung’s grin turns into something that makes Seungmin glad for once that he’s on their side. “Digging his own grave, is what he’s doing. Seungmin, we’re going to have _so_ much fun.” 

* * *

The day of Coachella is bright and sunny with a slight chill brought on by a breeze that’s just cold enough to bite. Felix wishes he were outside the giant tent set up for the directly backstage area so he could feel some of the sun’s rays and at least pretend he feels the warmth. At the very least, the main control room for the stadium speakers and sound system is in an enclosed booth, so he gets some relief from the wind as he steps inside. 

There’s a couple of questioning looks thrown his way, but the uniform Seungmin and Jisung had procured for him had done half the work of getting him in. The other half had been largely due to Hyunjin and Minho’s advice about walking in like he belonged there. He latches onto their words of encouragement as he gets himself lost in the backstage crowd, a performance in full swing in the main stadium.

“ _Doing okay, Felix?_ ” Chan asks. 

Felix nods, then remembers that none of them can see him. “Yeah,” he responds. “Just get to the main computers. I got this.” 

“ _We’ll do the rest after that,_ ” Seungmin promises. 

Felix doesn’t know why, but he really does have faith in them. It’s so much better, having people to fall back on, even if their relationship has been mostly professional as a group. He lets out a breath and walks casually up to the nearest person manning the station with the main monitors for the stadium’s sound system. 

“Hey, did you know they’re giving staff free donuts and coffee down by the trailers?” he asks without preamble, straining to be heard over the thumping bass. 

The staff member looks up, interest caught. “Damn, really? I hope there are still some left when I’m done with this rotation.” 

Felix leans forward conspiratorially. “I’ll cover for you if you want to run down there real quick.” 

“For real?” the man asks. “I can’t really leave this station, though…” 

“I got you, don’t worry,” Felix promises, giving him a bright smile, and it doesn’t take long before the man caves. 

“You’re the best, man. I’ll be right back.” 

He stands and makes for the exit, and Felix gratefully slides into the seat, exhaling in a huff of air. 

“ _Good job_ ,” Minho murmurs approvingly. 

It’s simple and to the point, but gaining Minho’s approval had seemed impossible given how intimidated Felix had been of him at first, so the praise makes him feel warm. He looks at the switchboard, still smiling, and goes to find the nearest empty USB port. When he locates it, he slips the USB Jisung and Seungmin had given him into it, and a window pops up on the monitor directly in front of him. 

“ _Minimize it before anyone sees_ ,” Jisung reminds him, and Felix clicks on the button so that the window shrinks to just one of the icons on the taskbar. He looks to the side to see if any of the other staff members had seen it, but they’re all busy with something else and not paying attention to him. 

“ _Probably should get out of there when the guy comes back mad after finding out there’s no donuts,_ ” Changbin warns. 

It’s Jisung’s voice that floats through next. “ _Who said there weren’t donuts?_ ”

“ _What do you mean?_ ” 

“ _He means,_ ” Jeongin grunts, “ _t_ _hat he coerced me into handing out free donuts with Hyunjin by the performer trailers._ _I only agreed under duress._ ” 

Hyunjin laughs. “ _You needed something to do._ ” 

Felix can only imagine the unimpressed look Jeongin is giving Hyunjin. “ _Not like this. Anyway, only Felix gets the remaining donuts._ " 

“I’m honored,” Felix laughs amidst Jisung’s protests. “Guess I’m heading there after I disappear from this booth.”

When the ongoing performance ends, Felix pushes his chair back and stands, walking back out of the booth and waiting for the staff member to return and enter the booth before mingling with the people flowing toward the exit. 

* * *

Hwang Min Suk stands in the wings, feeling the roar of the crowd as if it cheers for him. 

The lights dim, but the sea of faces do not, excitement heightening as the opening notes sound and the first movements flow from the boys at center stage. Spotlights flicker and dance over his new shining jewels, the ones that will take America by storm. 

He can taste victory on the tip of his tongue. 

It’s smooth sailing from here, as he meticulously monitors them and hums approval at audience applause. Nothing could possibly deny him the taste of the top, or tarnish the trail of success. 

The music comes to a screeching halt. 

His hands fly to his ears as the squelching stutter of feedback rips through the stadium, and _Hellevator_ grinds to a halt. Suddenly, there’s no music, just the groan of the crowd as it slowly succumbs to the silence. 

Then, he hears the sound of his own voice. 

“ _Don’t you understand? We’re screwed! All the original masters of those tapes were stolen!_ ”

A murmur ripples through the crowd, confusion and unease.

“ _But sir, you took them—_ ”

“ _I don’t care, get them back! Do whatever you have to._ ” 

“ _We can’t call in the authorities on stolen music, sir._ ” 

A pause, deathly still. Hwang can do nothing but stand there in shock.

“ _Then we’ll take that trainee’s songs instead. You know who to send, right?_ ” 

By now, the crowd is roaring, but for a different reason. Hwang’s idols stare at each other in disbelief, then at the screen as a slideshow appears.

* * *

Seungmin is rather proud of his first slide, split neatly in half. There's a black side with a picture of the _Present: You_ album and its title, lined up neatly with the original artist's name across the dividing line in the white half of the slide. It's simple and to the point. 

But when the next slide appears, it's a bright colorful display with little animations of a vaguely Hwang-esque character running over to another character working on a laptop and snatching the device. Mini-Hwang cackles evilly as he runs away and the other little dude cries into his hands. The same scene happens multiple times on the slide around the album cover and title and the original artist, coupled with little fireworks and cartoonish bombs exploding around them. 

Slowly, Seungmin turns to Jisung in the van, his expression blank and unamused. "Really." 

"What, you don't like my little masterpiece?" Jisung huffs. "I'll have you know I pulled two all-nighters in a row just for this presentation." 

Seungmin continues to stare at him for a moment. Then, slowly, with a long-suffering sigh, he turns back to the screen to watch the rest of the presentation, trying to fight a smile. He's not about to admit that Jisung's little animatics are cute.

* * *

It’s all a blur after that. 

Chan doesn’t even need to leave a tip with law enforcement before they see police cars arriving on the scene. The eight of them gather at a close but safe distance to the scene, and Chan feels something dislodge in his chest as he watches a handcuffed Hwang being escorted into a waiting squad car. The CEO’s eyes catch on them standing there, and they widen almost comically as he recognizes at least Chan. 

“It’s them!” he spits. “They’re the thieves, the ones over there. They framed me!” 

“Get in,” an officer says roughly, slamming the door after Hwang. 

It’s a lot more satisfying than it should be. 

“I got something for us,” Seungmin says, his eyes still trained on the retreating police car. 

Chan turns to him. “Yeah? What’s that?” 

“Let’s get out of here first,” the hacker responds mysteriously. "I've already returned the copies of the albums to JYP's servers."

Once they’re all gathered around a fountain in a quieter area of the city, Seungmin brandishes a stack of envelopes and starts handing them out, one to each person. 

“Job well—whoa.” Chan stares at the number written on the slip of paper, then stares some more. 

“That is… a lot of zeroes,” Hyunjin says, almost reverently.

Chan feels his stomach do a slow roll as he looks up at Seungmin. “How did you…” 

Seungmin is practically preening at the shocked looks on their faces. “There was an overlap in the London stock market. Valuation carried over to NASDAQ and… I’m just very good at what I do.”

Jisung nudges him. “ _We’re_ very good at what we do.” 

Seungmin rolls his eyes. “Okay, you helped a little.” 

“Age of the geek, baby,” Jisung grins, probably too giddy about the payout of the century to protest. 

“Never say that again,” Seungmin and Jeongin say at the same time, and send bewildered smiles at each other. 

“So we’re out, then?” Minho is looking directly at Chan, and something sinks in Chan’s stomach as it starts to realize the enormity of the moment. “I mean, this is _retirement_ money.” 

Before Chan can say anything, however, Hyunjin speaks up. “Right, one show only. No encores.” 

“I already forgot your names,” Jeongin says flippantly, and Chan can’t tell if he’s joking or not. 

He can see Felix’s face crumpling a little, and it tears at him too. Something about all this feels wrong, like their paths aren’t meant to diverge. But no one objects, and so he takes a long look around their little circle, trying not to linger too long on any one face. He has to house Felix for now, at least, and he’s sure he’ll see Changbin around, but the rest of them, well. There’s no guarantee. 

So he does the first thing his body tells him to do and steps forward, making his way across the circle and edging between Minho and Jisung to the other side, heading in the direction of his apartment. 

For some reason, it would hurt too much to say goodbye. 

“You know,” someone says at his shoulder when he’s barely made it around the fountain, “I’ve never had that cool a time on a job.” 

“Jisung,” he starts, not knowing how to finish the sentence, and Jisung definitely knows it too, if the way he hovers right at Chan’s shoulder is any indication. 

Hyunjin appears on Jisung’s other side. “Listen, sometimes it’s hard to stay concentrated when I’m all on my own, but you kept me focused.” 

“I thought it was a walkaway,” Chan starts again, already feeling something pleasant spiking in his chest. 

“I’m good at stealing, but that’s about it,” Jeongin says from his other shoulder. 

“Jeongin...” 

Seungmin joins them as well. “You know all these things, and you had your plans and guided us through. We all have something to learn from you, obviously.” 

“You can’t just leave me when I live with you now!” Felix protests, with a pout that hasn’t diminished in power since they were kids. 

There’s a hand on his shoulder, and Chan doesn’t have to turn around to know that it’s Changbin. “That job felt better than all the ones we’ve done together before, on the other side.” 

Chan doesn’t know what to tell him, but he’s saved from answering by the ring of his phone. Or so he thinks. 

“Hello?” 

He catches sight of a very familiar pair of legs crossed casually on a bench just ahead, and an equally familiar coat, and the beginnings of a smile tilted knowingly in his direction as he hits the end call button. 

“You pick the jobs,” Minho says, getting to his feet and stopping in front of Chan. 

Chan can’t meet his gaze, instead looking around at all of them. “My job is supposed to be helping people. Was. I was supposed to find bad guys.” 

“Then go find us some bad guys.” Minho’s coy grin only grows. 

“Bad guys have money,” Jeongin supplies helpfully, which has Hyunjin nodding in agreement. 

Changbin shrugs when Chan looks at him. “Less red tape on this side of the law.” 

They’re all looking at him with such eager and hopeful faces that there wasn’t ever really a question about what he has to do. 

* * *

“I’m sorry,” the woman says, but she’s unable to finish her sentence before she breaks down in sobs again. 

Her husband puts an arm around her shoulders and wipes at her tears gently. “It’s okay,” he says softly. “Don’t cry.” 

“Please,” Minho says, leaning forward from the couch opposite them. “Take your time.”

“No rush at all,” Felix adds softly. 

“She…” The woman takes a deep, shuddering breath. “She was seventeen.” 

Changbin gives them a sympathetic look from next to Minho. “We know,” he says gently. 

The woman seems to gather something deep in the pits of her stomach, an unbridled rage. “They killed her! The company said it was an accident but they killed her!” 

“And you want them hurt,” Seungmin says from the armchair to their right. “Understandable.” 

The husband looks up at him, then at the rest of them scattered across the couches and armchairs, near tears himself. “Look… We can’t pay you.” 

Jeongin grins, something feral in it. “We don’t need money. We’ve got plenty of that.”

“We work on an alternate revenue stream,” Hyunjin finishes for him.

Jisung crosses one ankle casually across his other knee. “The point is that they’re pushing you around, toying with you, and we can put a stop to that."

“I don’t understand,” the man says uncertainly. “The judge said we couldn’t appeal. What are you gonna do?”

Chan grips the back of the couch just behind Minho’s shoulders. 

“People like that, corporations like that, they have all the money and power. And they use it to make people like you go away, simply because no one can stand against them. Right now, you’re as lost and confused as every one of us once were.”

He looks up, sharklike grin overtaking his features.

“Sometimes, the bad guys are the only good guys you can get.” 

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this, I encourage you to watch the actual Leverage TV show (2008, I believe, since there's a reboot coming out soon). There's quite a few direct quotes in this. Let us know what you think in the comments, too.
> 
> Prevent the spread of COVID, support social justice, and we'll see you in The All In Job.


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